468 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



the commonest, are known. Granted that a complete treatise is 

 not to be expected in a Dictionary, we cannot concede that a 

 Dictionary is not to be as perfect as its author can make it, and 

 no one who has referred to Professor Newton's articles in the 

 'Encyclopaedia Britannica* will doubt for a moment his ability to 

 supply many additions and improvements. It is to be regretted 

 that he has not seen his way to this. The increased bulk and 

 cost of each Part which would be thereby necessitated, would, we 

 opine, be quite immaterial to readers who have felt the want 

 of such a work. 



As regards what we have ventured to call " improvements," 

 we allude to the desirability of finding more references to other 

 sources of information outside the Dictionary, and which after all 

 is one mode of economising space. To take the word Abadavine 

 on the very first page. We read " Abadavine or Aberduvine 

 (etymology and spelling doubtful) ; a name applied in 1735 by 

 Albin (Suppl. Nat. Hist B. p. 71) to the Siskin, but perhaps 

 hardly ever in use, though often quoted as if it were." Here we 

 miss the more familiar spelling Aberdavine and Aberdevine ; and 

 it would have been of interest to add that this name, though not 

 mentioned by Willughby, is used by Gilbert White in his eighth 

 letter to Dairies Barrington, and by Montagu in a letter to White, 

 May 21st, 1780. Again, we find " Barley-bird, a name given in 

 some parts to the Yellow Wagtail, in others to the Wryneck ; but 

 in both cases from their appearing at the time of barley sowing. 

 By some authors it is said, but obviously in error, to be applied 

 to the Siskin." But see Willughby, Orn. p. 261. The Yellow 

 Wagtail and the Wryneck do not usually arrive until about 

 the 7th of April, while barley is generally sown in February 

 and March. 



To the statement (p. 78) that " Carr-goose is an old name for 

 the Great Crested Grebe " might be added " and is still used in 

 Staffordshire (Garner)." Apropos of Grebe (p. 381), the sugges- 

 tion that this is from the French Grebe is, we venture to think, 

 doubtful. The bird is said to derive its name from its crest, 

 Cornish and Welsh crib and criban, a comb, or crest (Skeat). As 

 for its provincial name "Gaunt" (p. 310), which Prof. Newton 

 considers may be " possibly corrupted from Gannet," he might 

 have referred to a note on this subject (Zool. 1884, p. 350), 

 in which a very different and plausible explanation is suggested. 



